House of the Future
by cmartlover
Summary: Nina mysteriously disappears, and Fabian frantically searches for her. But little does he know that this cataclysmic event will cause their relationship to change forever...
1. Shellshocked

**Author's Note: So this is a Nina/Fabian fic that takes place somewhere during the season 2 time frame**,** though it does NOT contain spoilers for Season 2. I hope you enjoy it! Reviews would be lovely!**

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><p>The bashful boy with the brown hair was awkwardly shuffling his hands in the pockets of his trousers.<p>

He could tell from the warmth radiating in his cheeks that he was blushing madly, and he desperately hoped that the beautiful girl standing in front of him was unable to detect the rapid beating of his heart.

Softly pressing her delicate hand in his, Fabian Rutter finally mustered up the courage to look Nina directly in the eyes.

He was awestruck by the way her shimmering hazel eyes shone like precious jewels, and how they were framed by golden locks of wavy hair.

As the pulse fluctuating in his neck quickened, the brown haired boy forced himself to part his lips.

"So…erm…Nina…Good Night, then…I'll…um…see you in the morning," he unfortunately was unable to prevent himself from stuttering.

"Good Night, Fabian," she said very clearly, her face brightening with a magnificent smile.

Though both were well aware that they should have been proceeding towards their separate rooms, neither moved.

For a mere moment, just the wonderful sight of her rendered Fabian paralyzed, and he seemed unable to will himself to leave.

Suddenly, as his compassionate heart stirred with desire, the bashful boy brushed his lips lightly against hers. A peculiar mixture of emotions surged through the boy's body, causing the embrace to deepen.

Unfortunately, a stern and menacing voice broke the two quickly apart.

"It's ten o' clock. You all know what that means…In five minutes, I want to hear a pin drop…now get to your rooms this instant!" Victor's nightly intimidation procedure caused a flustered Fabian to scuttle hastily down the stairs, in the hopes that the agitated man had not witnessed his recent action.

When he had made his way to the ground floor, the brown haired boy found himself momentarily fixated on the figure of the blushing girl upstairs; who was now entering her room.

"Mr. Rutter, did you not hear my instructions? Get to your room—now! Or else there will be dire consequences!" The scowling man barked.

Not intent on tampering any further with his caretaker's state of outrage, Fabian bolted to his room, so quickly that he nearly slammed the door behind him.

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><p>The young girl with the gorgeous wavy hair quietly entered her chamber.<p>

Flicking the light switch off, Nina Martin collapsed into bed; the previous moments of the day still firmly engrained in her head.

Her pale hand was nestled upon her chest, as she attempted to steady the irregular beating of her heart.

She was completely dumbfounded as to the reason behind her irrational behavior.

_Come on, it was just a kiss…It's not like we haven't done it before…Oh, why do I have to feel like this?_

Nina's silent musings were suddenly interrupted by the familiar voice of someone who she had nearly forgotten was in the room.

"So, Nina, you and Fabian kissed again? Awww…you two are just so adorable together…" Amber's terrible attempt at a whisper caused the heat to return to Nina's cheeks.

"Oh, Amber, I thought you'd be asleep by now…" The wavy haired girl attempted to change the subject.

"Well, I was rather hoping we might have a Sibuna meeting tonight…" The blonde shifted herself upright, as if to appear more convincing.

"Amber, we all agreed on having one tomorrow, remember? Now, go to sleep, we wouldn't want Victor to hear us." Nina dismissed her friend's concerns, and was relieved to see Amber shift back beneath her covers.

Despite the fact that a certain brown haired boy was still heavy on her mind, the wavy haired girl smothered herself with the thick comforter, and dug her flaming face in the folds of the soft pillow.

After remaining in that position for a short period of time, Nina was finally able to succumb to the tantalizing allure of a long awaited slumber.

A luminescent figure caused the heavy eyelids of the wavy haired girl to flutter open.

"Nina…you must go…go to the place of secrets…" The gossamer image of an elderly woman beckoned Nina awake.

"Huh? Sarah…but, I thought you were free…I don't understand…what do you mean…what 'place of secrets?'"

Unfortunately, the answer's to the girl's inquiries were left to hang amid a wave of silence, as the kind, old lady grinned in contentment, her glowing body dissipating into a sea of ominous darkness.

"No…Sarah…please don't go…I…"

A frantic and confused Nina began to emerge from her dream-like state.

Once again, she was unsure as to whether it had been an actual ghost or simply a vivid hallucination, but no matter what, she was intent on following Sarah's instructions.

Cautiously inching her way out of bed, the wavy haired girl tiptoed quietly across the wooden floorboards of the room, until she successfully ventured out into the blackened hallway, the door silently creaking behind her.

A beaming flashlight was clasped tightly in her hand, as she pondered her next move.

_Sarah said, 'go to the place of secrets,' but what exactly did she mean? Well, let's see, maybe she was talking about the place where I first uncovered the secrets of Anubis house…which was the attic…yes, that must be it,_ Nina finally concluded, before maneuvering her bare feet towards the door that loomed ahead.

As much as she would have preferred to be in the company of Fabian, something echoing from deep within her soul compelled her to do this on her own.

Now, fumbling for her metallic hairpin, Nina prepared to unlock the entrance to the mysterious attic, when, to her astonishment, the door creaked open on its own.

_That's strange. This must be more dangerous than I thought…_

Wandering carefully up the attic steps, she peered around, as if to spot whatever Sarah might have intended her to see.

At first glance, the misconstrued books and splintered wood appeared to be in a perfectly ordinary condition, until Nina suddenly spotted a flicker of light in the corner of her eye.

Instantly, the precious eye of Horus, which was dangling atop her chest, began to emit an eerie crimson glow, pointing directly to the shimmering cupboard.

_What could be in there? Perhaps this is what Sarah was warning me about the last time we had spoken before tonight…last term…the night of the prom…_

At this, Nina became slightly apprehensive, though she soon gained enough strength to clasp the radiant closet handle, as if to slowly unveil the source of the strange luminescence.

What? But it looks like nothing…just a really bright light…

The trembling girl was completely dumbfounded, until out of nowhere, she felt herself enveloped by an invisible force.

Though she attempted to scream, her constricted throat allowed only a few raspy breaths to escape from her parched lips.

Before she could even comprehend what was happening, the deceptive light pulled her quickly into a frightful state of unconsciousness.

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><p>The brown haired boy briskly fashioned his striped tie, before exiting the room, and motioning towards the kitchen.<p>

Taking his usual seat, Fabian barely even glanced at the scrumptious breakfast that Trudy had so kindly prepared.

Instead, he shifted his head in various directions, in search of a certain American, though he tried not to be too obvious about his motives.

When Nina appeared to be nowhere in sight, Fabian's first thought was to consult with her roommate.

Unfortunately, the elusive Amber did not appear to be present, either, but Fabian certainly was not the only one to make this observation.

"Hey, guys, where's Amber?" A paranoid Alfie questioned rather loudly.

"Oh, she's likely contemplating which pair of shoes to wear," Patricia snarled, causing the entire table to erupt into fits of laughter.

"Oh, come on, guys, she's not like that…" The defensive brown skinned boy attempted to argue, though his innocent remarks only served to create a heated dispute.

Since nearly everyone had become distracted, Fabian decided this would be the perfect moment to make the slip.

Venturing out into the hallway, Fabian was relieved to see a familiar blonde girl making her way down the steps in a very dignified manner.

"Amber, have you seen Nina, this morning?" The flustered boy asked shakily.

"Sorry, no, I haven't. I thought maybe she'd come down early, are you sure she isn't in the dining room?" Amber muttered, her voice beginning to sound concerned.

"No, she definitely isn't there…this isn't like her, at all…I'm really starting to worry…"

His words were in sync with the rapid pounding of his heart.

"Oh my gosh, what if mean old Victor and the teachers kidnapped her because she's the chosen one and…"

A peevish Fabian quickly silenced the frankly ridiculous conspiracy theory that spewed from Amber's polished lips.

"Shhhh! Amber, we don't want the others to hear!" he whispered.

"Why not?" She asked, genuinely unable to understand.

"Because what if Nina is in danger…we certainly don't want anyone blabbing to the teachers about it…or mentioning a word to Victor, for that matter." Fabian's sternness caused Amber's deep brown eyes to register with comprehension.

"Oh, okay! Don't worry, Fabian, I can keep a secret…but may I please go to breakfast, now? I'm starving, and if I stand here any longer, I'm afraid it will damage my complexion…"

At this, the brown haired boy sighed, nodding dejectedly, before proceeding back into the other room.

"Oh, Amber, nice to see you this morning. Will Nina be joining us soon? I do hope so, because breakfast time is nearly over," the tenderhearted woman inquired from across the sink.

"Actually, Trudy, Nina was feeling very…ill…this morning…and so she won't be able to…um…come down…" The girl with the flowing blonde hair concealed the truth, her eyes glancing back and forth to Fabian, who was steering her on.

"Oh, the poor dear. She's probably too ill to go to school today…I better go check in on her…" Trudy began to approach the door, before she was bombarded by Amber's frantic advances.

"No, no, Trudy…she's dreadfully awful…and contagious…as she's concocted the stomach flu…plus, she made me promise…um…not to let anyone near her…she just doesn't want to expose you all to it…" Amber's jaded lies were obviously enough to assuage Trudy's fears, because she soon turned back to tidy up the table.

Fixing his eyes upon the sight of the ticking clock in the corner, the brown haired boy became troubled by the fact that there was scarcely any time left before he would be forced to get off to school.

Even in the time he had been eating, he had barely managed to consume even one fourth of his sugary pancakes.

Normally, he would have devoured them without any sort of trouble, but it seemed his one-track mind was currently preoccupied with a matter of decisive importance.

As the others began to dispose of their trash, Fabian performed a similar action at a rather fast pace, in the hopes that he could partake in one last search around the house.

Despite the fact that he probably should have been preparing for school, the brown haired boy found himself inching his way up the tattered wooden stairs, towards the girl corridors.

_Come on! Where could she possibly have gone? I doubt the teachers have anything to do with it, but Victor or Rufus, I'm not so sure…_

Just the possibility of this caused Fabian to flinch, his heart rate escalating far beyond what it should have been.

It was then that the dreadful door came to his attention, and he came to the horrifying realization that it was partially opened.

_Oh, no, the attic door. She must have gone up there…but why…and why would she go off on her own…unless…_

The boy's alarming thoughts came to an unexpected hiatus, as a callused hand gripped his stiff back.

" What do you think you are doing, Mr. Rutter? You know very well that the attic is off limits to students! Now, get to school, right away…or you will surely be cleaning my toilets!" The enraged caretaker declared in a threatening voice, his soulless eyes suspiciously scanning the boy, who was intent on heeding his harsh words.

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><p>A sea of long, wavy locks submerged the girl's crumpled body, as her lurid face rubbed against the cold hardwood floor.<p>

The rhythmic creaking of floorboards served to entice her out of her soporific state.

Fluttering her dark eyelashes slowly back and forth, Nina Martin came to recognize her surroundings.

She was painfully aware that her limbs were enflamed, and her weary body was aching all over.

For a brief moment, her brain was swelling with chaos and she was unable to recall how she had managed to fumble into such a terrible position.

As soon as her bleary hazel eyes caught the sight of the dangling eye of Horus, the gut wrenching memory of the carnivorous light resurfaced and triggered a surge of irrevocable fear to rummage through her body.

After a few minutes, Nina became aware that she was definitely situated in the attic, but something about it all was erratic and bizarre.

The normally scattered objects were arranged in a more systematic order, and the nearly undetectable scent of wafting dust seemed more heavily prevalent.

However, the pounding of heavy footsteps hastily bombarded these thoughts, and Nina suddenly folded herself beneath a battered desk, in a vain attempt to remain unseen.

Though the oak wood from above obscured the majority of her upper view, her eyes remained locked onto the terrifying sight of a familiar cloaked figure, whose feet began to patter closer and closer.

At this, the shivering girl tightly forced her eyes shut, her final thoughts drifting towards the handsome image of her best friend, giving her the strength to submit to her inevitable fate.

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><p>Every inhabitant of the Anubis house had drifted off to sleep, all but for a certain Fabian Rutter.<p>

His time at school had proven to be agonizing torment, as finding Nina had been his primary objective, thus making it extremely difficult to focus on his classes.

As for explaining Nina's absence to the teachers, he had continued muttering Amber's cleverly concocted fables, knowing full well that they were completely false and misconstrued.

Given the potential danger of the situation, Fabian had canceled the scheduled Sibuna meeting, providing the excuse that it would be unfair and unproductive to neglect the ill Nina.

Since then, he had been eagerly awaiting for darkness to settle upon the dreary house, in fear that any other attempt to discover the whereabouts of his best friend would be completely futile if not conducted at night.

Nevertheless, as Fabian, torch in hand, currently drifted in the ominous blackness, he felt his entrails squelch in fear.

_Stop it! Don't be ridiculous. You have to do this…be brave…for Nina's sake._

A trembling, ghastly pale Fabian attempted to motivate himself, as he cautiously crept through the entrance to the attic.

Despite the fact that the pounding of his own heart resounded in his ears, he continued to listen for evidence of any sort of breathing besides his own.

Shifting the tiny beam of light in various directions, he did not seem to spot anything more than the typical disheveled object.

Before allowing himself to submit to defeat, the bashful boy repeated this motion, until the torch suddenly illuminated a familiar figure.

"Nina!" Fabian gasped, his knees immediately sinking to the ground beside her.

Scanning her face more carefully, he confirmed his thoughts, now completely aware that this was no hallucination.

The woman's delicate features were undoubtedly Nina's, but something seemed odd about them.

Not only was her ordinarily lengthy hair cropped to her shoulders, but there was another strange element about her face, perhaps it was something as simple as the slightly firmer set of her jaw.

_What's happened to her…she look's strangely different…but what is it…she's…she's…older…_

The boy's clever deduction was momentarily disregarded, as the girl with the wavy hair began to stir.

Fabian carefully nestled her in his secure arms and watched in pain as her parched lips began to fumble in shock.

Though she was obviously delirious, and her eyes remained zipped closed, her quivering voice began to reverberate through the air, as she struggled confusedly, tiny drops of sweat dripping from atop her brow.

"Where is he? Where's Fabian? Where's my husband?"

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><p><strong>Note: Are you confused, yet? Don't worry, I plan to update soon if I receive enough positive feedback. Meanwhile, you may enjoy some of my other stories, which are posted on my profile. Remember that reviews are greatly appreciated:)<strong>

**Have an amazing day!**


	2. Madness

**Author's Note: So, I've finally got the new chapter up. It's not nearly as long as the first, but I hope you all enjoy it, nonetheless. The primary focus is Nina and Fabian (not many other characters are mentioned). This chapter begins from young Nina's POV, and then shifts to young Fabian's POV.(Note that these are not occuring at the same time). Well, anyway, enjoy, and would you be so kind as to leave a review? It would make my day:)**

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><p>The young teen with the gorgeous wavy hair silently clutched the bulging leg of the wooden desk.<p>

Her rapidly beating heart was completely convulsed with fear, as the menacing figure suddenly crept down and reached over toward her pale hand.

Because her breathing was presently coarse and loud, she was absolutely certain that she had been discovered.

As the long, lurid fingers hastily collided with her frigid body, the horrified Nina released a yelp of desperation.

Snapping her eyes shut even tighter, the wavy haired girl felt the tiny droplets hurriedly cascade down her damp cheek.

She could sense the stranger's husky breaths upon her skin, and the horrid feeling sent chills surging up her spine.

"Nina…I've been looking everywhere for you!" the familiar sound of her best friend's voice beckoned the terrified girl from her ridiculous state.

Her watery hazel eyes locked onto his, and instantly, she felt the ominous fear barricading her heart dissipate.

"F-Fabian?" Nina managed to fumble his name, but it was obvious that she remained completely disconcerted.

Cautiously scanning his handsome figure, the wavy haired girl realized that he was clothed elegantly in a crinkled cloak and his chestnut colored hair was cropped perhaps a bit shorter than she had remembered it being.

Before she could even part her lips in question, the tenderhearted man enveloped her quivering body in his secure arms, and softly rocked her back and forth.

"Honey, its okay, Relax. Now, tell me what happened." His soothing whisper seemed to momentarily lull the torrent that was raging from within a very fearful and confused Nina Martin.

"I…I…don't remember…I…I think Sarah drew me to the attic…but, then, I'm not sure what happened…I must have been out for hours…until I finally woke up…and there was someone coming towards me…I…I thought for sure it was…V-Victor…" the girl relayed her troubled inclinations in broken sentences, her heart pounding madly from within her chest.

"Honey, are you sure you're feeling alright? What made you think I was Victor? Victor's been gone for ages." Fabian spoke melodically, as if attempting to deduce the reasoning behind Nina's erratic behavior.

_Since when had Fabian ever called me, 'honey'? That's twice, now…it feels so strange…like something's somehow changed between us…but I can't seem to put my finger on it. _

"I don't quite understand. What do you mean Victor's been gone for ages? I just saw him yesterday, remember? You were there…"

The girl with the wavy hair concluded from the man's puzzled expression that her words dumbfounded him. His soulful eyes became enlarged, as if her simple speech relayed some sort of daunting prospect that she remained completely oblivious to.

"F-Fabian, what is it? What's the matter? Tell me. Please…"

It was something about his entire physique that unnerved her. His dark pupils continued to dilate, as beads of sweat slowly trickled down his convulsed forehead.

At that point, Nina noticed his clenched fists; the bluish veins of his hands were perhaps more distinct than she recalled them to be, but truly the eeriest sight was the shimmering golden band that entangled his finger.

_What? But that's impossible…I've never seen him wear that before…_

By this time, the bedazzled girl had drifted backward slightly, her hazel eyes now carefully scrutinizing Fabian's facial features, as if to search for conformation.

Why was it that he possessed such a radiant love in those immensely blue eyes? In the past, she had witnessed traces of it—tiny sparks flickering at the oddest moments—but never had his irises blazed with such a flame as they did in that instant.

Soon, the bashful man dwindled back into reality because he finally willed himself to speak.

"Nina, Victor's been dead for five years…but if you've seen him and if Sarah spoke to you, then that can only mean…"

Fabian's illuminating deductions were briskly vanquished, when a low cackle began to reverberate through the dusty room.

Welding her smooth hand in his, the brown haired man pulled both himself and his companion in the direction of the crooked stairway.

As an eerie crimson glow began to emit from Nina's mystical necklace, she felt the pulse in Fabian's wrist fluctuate to a greater extent than it had previously.

She could barely make out his humble voice among the ravenous rumbles that had suddenly begun to devour the house.

"No…but it can't be…"

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><p>Elsewhere, a bashful young boy held a familiar woman's shivering body tightly in his arms.<p>

Her latest words continued to pulsate endlessly through her perturbed mind.

_She called me…her husband…Nina Martin called _me_ her _husband_…This is mad…I must be dreaming…_

His faltering attention was then shifted back upon the perspiring woman.

For some odd reason, her active limbs had finally stabilized, and it appeared that this seemingly older version of his beloved Nina was truly awakening for the first time.

Her hazel eyes gazed directly into his, and she was no longer hyperventilating.

It was obvious from the miniscule amount of light that had seeped into her sullen face that she had successfully identified her quiet counterpart.

"Fabian," the woman rasped, her shaky hand outstretching to stroke his burning cheek.

"I'm here." He leaned in closer to her, his soft whisper appeared to be reassuring, despite his own uncertainty and disbelief.

Before he could raise any further inquiries, her beautiful lips suddenly danced atop his.

As his body burst with passionate emotions, Fabian became awestruck by the incredible notion that she kissed him with such an unusual familiarity, in fact, the embrace lacked so much as a glimmer of the typical teenage awkwardness.

When Nina drew back, Fabian found that he was scarcely able to breathe properly, as he had never before experienced an ordeal of that sort.

"Sweetie, what is it?" the wonderful girl was concerned.

_That's rather odd…Nina's never called me 'Sweetie,' before._

Placing her body in an upright position, the wavy haired woman wrapped her wobbly arms around his torso, her mouth veering towards his ear.

"It…It was so terrifying, Fabian…I was so scared…" her quivering words were barely distinguishable, but the bashful boy was able to comprehend her message without difficulty.

"Nina, what's happened? I haven't seen you since yesterday…I've been worried sick," the dark haired teenager decided that it was not a great time to ask the terror invoking questions that were truly plaguing his mind.

"It's all a bit of a blur…I went to the attic for some strange reason…I know I should have woken you…but there was no time…I just had to get up here…then, I saw it—what we've been freaking out about for months…I'm afraid it's worse than we feared…I was about to get you…but there was this light…it was oddly familiar, I was trying to remember where I'd seen it before, when suddenly, it felt as if something was strangling me…I couldn't breathe…and there was a laugh…a terrible, terrible laugh…I…I thought I was going to die."

Those final words pounded through Fabian Rutter's mind, causing a tantalizing wave of alarm to surge through his body.

He silently scolded himself for allowing Nina to come to such harm, regardless of whether this was the version of her that he was associated with.

"I'm sorry, Nina, I'm so, so sorry," The bashful boy dug his hand through her wavy locks, in order to castigate her horrible fears.

Once her abnormal heart rate had slowed, Nina was all of a sudden intent on providing him with additional evidence of her greatest worries.

Shuffling to her feet, after a brief hiatus, the wavy haired woman stumbled across the musty floorboards towards a tiny cupboard.

Unfortunately, her hopeful expression quickly soured.

"No! But…it was here…I saw it…wait…what's this? These books…I haven't seen them in years…Fabian, I thought we both cleared them out ages ago."

It was at that precise moment that Nina Rutter had begun to realize just how young her husband really was; his convoluted state was beginning to seem justifiable.

"Fabian, what year is it? I know it sounds like a ridiculous question…but I really need to know…because both of our lives may very well depend on it."

Fabian estimated that she was finally grasping the horrifying truth of the situation.

"It's—"

Before the bashful boy could enlighten her, a gentle creaking of the ragged stairs caused them both to prop themselves upon the cold, hardwood floor.

In a matter of gut wrenching seconds, Fabian was greatly relieved to hear a familiar feminine voice.

"Fabian…Nina!" the caring blonde nearly raced over to her two best friends.

The saggy circles beneath her normally polished eyes revealed the extent of her concern.

Nevertheless, Amber Millington had to listen to reason.

"Quiet, Amber!" Fabian shushed, his hand practically smothering her mouth.

Turning to Nina, the boy watched as her hazel eyes grew terribly wide in astonishment, as if the sight of her other best friend had become a rarity.

_That settles it. This is definitely not the Nina I know. But what other explanation is there? Could she be from the future? Is that even possible?_

The wavy haired woman had almost separated her parched lips to speak, when suddenly a gruff, male voice prevented her from doing so.

Acting instinctively, Fabian Rutter motioned for the two shell-shocked girls to follow him toward a lone corner closet.

Hastily maneuvering the ancient wooden door open, the three of them quickly closed it, hiding themselves in the looming darkness.

As much as they all desired to converse, the stern, echoing voice restrained them from making even the tiniest sound or movement.

"Children…I do hope you all know that the attic is off limits to students…For this infraction you all will be punished on the most severe terms imaginable…"

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><p><strong>Note: I know I left on a cliffhanger, but I really can't help it. I probably won't be able to post anymore for a couple of weeks because I'm very busy(I also have other stories to update). It also depends on the feedback I get; if I recieve enough positive reviews than I might just have to post sooner:) Meanwhile, you can check out some of my other stories(posted on my profile). Remember that reviews would be greatly appreciated!<strong>

**Have a wonderful President's Day(if you're in the US, but if you're not, then have a great Monday, anyway.)**


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